


Helping Hand

by Avistella



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-19 12:38:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11897910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avistella/pseuds/Avistella
Summary: You offer to help Credence from his situation.





	Helping Hand

The first time you saw the almost painfully pitiful young man named Credence Barebone, it was like looking in a mirror of your past self. You saw it in his downcast eyes and bowed head. You saw it in his frown-marred lips and hunched shoulders. You were once the same as he was. Perhaps the circumstances weren't exactly the same, but you knew that he was a victim, similar to how you are now a survivor.

Fortunately, you had people who cared about you and managed to help you with your situation, and when you saw that poor young man all meek and vulnerable, you couldn't bring yourself to turn a blind eye. Even if you didn't know him personally, you believed that nobody deserved that kind of ill treatment, whatever it was. You couldn't say for certain what the young man was going through, but you did know that he was in pain. And so, you approached him.

You first approached him when he was all alone in the corner of a street. You realized that although alone and afraid of social interactions, he held a more relaxed air than he usually did at those NSPS meetings you've seen him at. It wasn't much of a difference, but it was a subtle one all the same that you figured wouldn't hurt.

The young man kept his head bowed, but that still didn't stop you from wearing the friendliest smile you could muster as you walked up to him. Your shoes entered the male's vision which was focused on the ground, prompting him to look up at you through his lashes, and your heart clenched the moment you made eye contact, the pain and undeniable strength of being able to perservere this long becoming much more evident now that you were this close to him.

"Hello," you greeted him softly with a small tilt of your head. It looked like he _really_ tried to return your greeting but was unable to and instead opted for a curt nod instead. You smiled appreciatively at his effort nevertheless before gesturing towards the papers in his hands. "May I have one, please?"

He gave another brief nod before handing one over to you while muttering out a quiet, "Thank you..."

You accepted the paper even though you had no real use for it; you just merely needed an excuse to approach him. "No, thank _you_. ...I like your eyes."

The young man seemed to gawk at that, and for a moment you wondered if it was an inappropriate comment on your part. But then again, you understood full well just how much a small and simple compliment like that can brighten somebody's day, and you could only hope that it did so for the male.

"Th-Thank you," he tripped on his own words, unable to think of anything else to say to such an unexpected comment as the corners of his lips started to lift up into a bashful smile.

Seeing his shoulders visibly relax the slightest bit, you continued, "May I ask for your name?"

"I-It's Credence, Miss..."

"Credence..." you repeated his name underneath your breath to get a feel for it before offering a dazzling smile. "You have a very lovely name, Credence. I like it a lot."

This time, the young man was left utterly speechless. The papers in his hands crinkled the slightest bit at the small increase of his grip on them, but you couldn't discern just what exactly he was feeling right now. Figuring it would be rude to not give your name, and also so that he could familiarize himself with you, you gave your own name and introduced yourself.

A sense of accomplishment filled your chest when you saw Credence relax even more around you. Even if it was temporary, you wanted to give this young man some comfort in his day, hoping it would be enough to give him strength to continue moving forward. 

"You're quite tall," you note to keep the conversation going. Despite his poor posture, Credence's height was still above yours.

Credence had no comment and only nodded his head to acknowledge that he heard you, offering a quiet hum that you almost missed. Perhaps this was too much stimulation for him right now, the interaction exhausting him, so you decided to leave things as they were now. Extending a hand out for the male to shake, you said, "I hope to see you again."

Credence stared at your outstretched hand, hesitating for a moment as he weighed his thoughts. Eventually, he bowed his head for another nod, but this one more of resolve for himself rather than anything else before timidly taking yours in his. "M-Me too," he admitted, surprising the both of you.

You had to stop yourself from outwardly reacting to the feel of the raised flesh from his palm against yours. Although it did take some effort, you managed to pull up a smile, hoping that it was reassuring enough as you shook the male's hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Credence." You called him by his name again, acknowledging him as a person and equal which he seemed to appreciate. "I hope you have a good evening and night."

You slowly loosened your grip on his hand, gauging his reaction. The young man seemed reluctant to let go, so you allowed your hand to linger just a bit longer to maintain that contact, waiting for Credence to retract his hand first. His fingers curled themselves into a ball which he held close to his chest, relishing the feeling that lingered from that gentle touch.

Flashing him one last smile, you turned on your heel and started to walk back in the direction you came from. As you increased the distance between the two of you, you turned around to look at Credence, only to be surprised when you found him staring at you. He seemed to jump from embarrassment at having been caught, but before he could lower his gaze, you waved your hand to him. Slowly, he lifted his own hand and returned your wave with a small one, prompting you to grin widely at him before turning back around to head home.

Thankfully, Credence was able to return his poor excuse of a home in time, sparing him a lashing from his adoptive mother. The entire time, the young man kept the hand that he had used to shake with yours tightly furled and close to his heart. It was almost like he was trying to preserve the warmth and sense of comfort he felt from that moment for as long as he could.

His mind wandered back to you, the kind person that approached him. Acknowledged him. Complimented him. All that attention and compassion felt so foreign to him, but Credence realized just how much he wished for such things. He believed that he was selfish for desiring them, but after having a taste from you, he found himself wishing for them even more and more.

The next few days, you hadn't seen Credence at all. Even if you were worried for him, he was still technically still just a stranger to you, and you had your own life. Credence undoubtedly knew this, but he still couldn't help but hope. His gaze would flicker throughout the streets for your figure without him even realizing it. You had told him you liked his eyes, and although it was something so small, it gave him a temporary small boost in confidence, and it felt good. _It felt good to be confident._

The next time you saw Credence, you had literally bumped into him. It was any regular day, or so you thought, until your eyes fell across the person who inflicted those emotional scars on you. Even if you were stronger than you were back then, you still weren't ready to face them directly, so you turned on your heel and ran in the opposite direction. You looked back to check if they had seen you, so your attention was directed elsewhere when you crashed into a tall and lanky frame.

Credence yelped, his posture causing him to fall forwards to the ground when you collided with his back. The fliers he was holding fluttered in the air before lying scattered on the ground. You cursed underneath your breath for having caused a scene, profuse apologies spilling out of your mouth as you bent down to help retrieve the sheets of paper.

"It's you..." Credence murmured, but you were still able to catch it. You glanced towards him, and you didn't think he realized the corners of his lips twitching into a pleased smile from seeing you. It was flattering in a way, and you sheepishly averted your gaze back to the fliers in your hands.

"I'm really happy to see you again, Credence," you admitted, and you saw his eyes light up.

You remembered his name, and his presence brought you joy which made the male's heart swell with overwhelming emotion. Once again, he found his words becoming caught in his throat, and he cursed his own uselessness and inabilities, but before he could fall any deeper into those dark thoughts, you continued.

"I know this might be weird of me to ask, but would you mind sparing a moment of your time with me?"

Credence tilted his head to the side, curious as to what spurred this on until he saw your gaze focused on his exposed hands, and he immediately balled his hands into fists to hide his injuries. Daring to spare a glance your way, the young man saw your eyes full of sympathy and understanding, an almost pained smile on your features.

"You can refuse if you want, but I want to help you, Credence. Really, I do," you press a bit further, making your intentions known.

_Help him_. You wanted to help him. Credence's chest clenched at the idea. Would it really be okay for him to accept your help? Was he really worthy of such kindness? Would you _really_ be able to help him? Could it truly be possible?

The young man pressed his lips together in a firm line as he considered his response. He glanced towards you, and he saw the patience in your eyes. ...Yes, he could trust you. He decided to trust you. With apprehension and hope swelling in his chest, Credence offered you a trembling hand.

"Please, help me..." he whispered, acknowledging his lack of power in his situation.

You discreetly breathed out a sigh of relief as you accepted his hand into your own. Just like how your friends did everything in their power to support you in your time of need, you would do everything you could for Credence and make him realize his own true strength.

**Author's Note:**

> You can read more of my works on [my Tumblr](http://avistella.tumblr.com/)


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